How to share your location with family on iPhone and Android

Family location sharing usually starts with one question: did everyone get home? Apple, Google and Samsung each have a family option, and they work well when everyone uses the same kind of phone. Here's each one step by step, what family members can and can't change, and what to do when the family is mixed. Sources: Apple's iPhone User Guide (iOS 27), Google's and Samsung's help pages, checked 7 November 2026.

Which family option fits

iPhone: share your location with your Family Sharing group

Apple: "When the family organizer sets up location sharing in Family Sharing settings, the organizer's location is automatically shared with everyone in the family, including any new members added later. Then, family members can choose whether or not to share their location" (Apple).

1. Go to Settings > Family > Location Sharing.
2. Turn on Location Sharing for the family member you want to share with. Repeat for each person.
3. Optional: turn on Automatically Share Location to share with members who join later.

"Each family member receives a message that you're sharing your location and can choose to share their location with you." You need Location Services on (Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services). Family members then appear in Find My > People.

Children and teens

Apple: "When Automatically Share Location is turned on for a child, only parents and guardians in the family group can see the child's location." And: "Children and teens with Screen Time parental controls turned on may not be able to change their own location sharing settings." Apple's family overview adds that "your parent or guardian can prevent changes to certain privacy settings, including Share My Location settings", and that kids get a notification "when your parent or guardian changes your Share My Location settings" (Apple).

Find a family member's lost device

"After you share your location with members of your Family Sharing group, they can help locate a missing device added to the Find My app." Your devices are listed first, family members' below.

Get notified when family arrive or leave

In Find My > People > a family member > Notify Me > Add Location Alert. Apple also offers "isn't at" alerts on a schedule, for example "if your child isn't at school during school hours" (Apple). Full guide: Find My notifications.

Stop sharing with a family member

Return to Settings > Family > Location Sharing and turn it off for that person. Apple: "You can stop sharing your location with any family member at any time."

Android: share your location with family

Google doesn't have a separate "family location" switch for adults; you share with each family member through Google Location Sharing:

1. In Google Maps, tap your profile picture > Location sharing > New share.
2. Choose Until you turn this off, pick the family member, tap Share (Google).
3. Repeat for each person; each can share back.

Or use Find Hub > Start share (Google). Family members with Find Hub or Google Maps get a notification; others get an email. Google notes Location Sharing is also used by Family Link, and "if your account is managed by a parent or guardian, they can manage Location Sharing with the Family Link app" (Google). Recipients need a Gmail account for a direct share.

Samsung Galaxy families: Samsung Find

Samsung Find lets you "easily share and check the family's devices and locations based on the family group of the Samsung account" (Samsung). Location is shared only after you accept a request, for 1 hour, 1 day or indefinitely, and Samsung says you get a notification whenever someone checks your location. For child accounts, sharing is limited to "family members registered as family groups on your Samsung account." Guide: share location on Samsung.

Mixed iPhone and Android families

This is where built-in options break down. Apple's Find My and Family Sharing location are for Apple devices; Apple says Live Location needs an iPhone on both ends (Apple). Google Maps works across both but needs a Gmail account for each person and shares one-to-one. For a family that really wants one picture:

• Google Maps: works, but each person shares separately, and iPhone users need the Google Maps app and a Gmail account.
• Warden: one circle, one map, on both systems.

Warden (top pick): one family map for iPhone and Android

Warden is built for grown-up families who all choose to share: parents, adult kids, siblings, grandparents.

1. Start a circle (for example "Family") and share the invite code in the family chat.
2. Each person joins on their own iPhone or Android phone; you approve each join.
3. Each person switches sharing on themselves. Sharing starts off, and nobody can switch it on for someone else.
4. Add places: home, Grandma's, work, school. The circle gets an alert when someone arrives or leaves.
5. See battery levels and get low-battery alerts; look back over 30 days of history; tap Locate now when you need a fresh position.
6. A "hasn't moved" alert tells the circle if someone who shares stays in one spot for a long time outside your places during the day.

Anyone can pause; the circle sees "Paused". One plan covers a circle of up to 10 people, and family members you invite join free. Warden isn't a parental-control app and can't be used to monitor someone who hasn't chosen to share. More: family locator app and check-in app for elderly parents.

Agree on family rules first

• What it's for: arrivals, meeting up, emergencies. Not checking where someone was all day.
• Pausing is fine: anyone can pause, no explanation needed.
• Adults choose for themselves. An adult child or a grandparent decides on their own phone.
• Review together every few months: still useful, still comfortable?

Troubleshooting

FAQ

How do I share my location with family on iPhone?

Go to Settings > Family > Location Sharing and turn on Location Sharing for each family member. They get a message and can share back; you'll see each other in Find My under People.

How do I share location with family on Android?

In Google Maps, tap your profile picture > Location sharing > New share, choose Until you turn this off, pick the family member and tap Share. Repeat for each person, or use Find Hub.

Can I share location with family members who have Android if I have an iPhone?

Not with Apple Family Sharing, which is for Apple devices. Use Google Maps or Warden, which run on both.

Why can't I see Location Sharing in Family Sharing?

The family organizer has to set up location sharing in Family Sharing settings first. Children with parental controls may not be able to change their own settings.

Does my family know when I stop sharing my location?

Apple says the person you stop sharing with won't be notified. In Warden, the circle sees "Paused" when you pause.

What's the best way to share location with family on iPhone and Android?

Warden (top pick), for families who all choose to share and want arrival alerts on one map across iPhone and Android.

Can I get notified when a family member gets home?

Yes. In Find My, add a Notify Me alert for them. In Warden, add home as a place and the circle is alerted on arrival.